‘I’m concerned about Kane’ – Neville says Spurs star should have been given England break

The 25-year-old needs some time away from the game in order to recuperate mentally, according to the former defender

Harry Kane should have been given a reprieve by England for their fixtures against Spain in the Nations League and Switzerland in a friendly, Gary Neville has argued.

The former Manchester United and England defender believes that the forward risks mental burnout after three busy years of football, and says that those fixtures would have been the ideal time to given him some respite.

“I am concerned about Harry Kane. Since 2015 he has played 175 matches and he's struggling. Forget the physical side, he needs a mental break as well,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“I don't think he should have been here for the two weeks. I think there is a welfare thing in terms of looking after players. He has not had enough of a break since 2015.”

The 25-year-old was a member of the England World Cup squad that made a run to the semi-finals of Russia 2018, where he won the Golden Boot, and has maintained a prolific record for his club side as they have elevated themselves to the status of Premier League title challengers under Mauricio Pochettino.

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His indispensable status, however, has meant that he has rarely had a chance to break as he has accumulated 106 goals for Spurs since the beginning of the 2015 season, twice earning the Premier League Golden Boot in the process.

This term, he has made his best ever start to a season, finally netting his first Premier League August goals.

On Saturday, he will seek to help Tottenham beat a Liverpool side that has made a perfect start to the season, with Spurs’ own winning streak ended with a shock defeat at Watford prior to the international break.